Runaways: Sand
by AlphaMike369
Summary: Naruto and Hinata are fed up with how they're treated and decide to leave the village, where they met people who will shape their lives. Part of my Runaways series.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of runaway stories where Naruto and Hinata travel to one of the Hidden Villages! Each story will share this first chapter, but afterwards they diverge into different tales, and how the characters turn out will depend on where they go and who they met.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Chapter 1 Runaways

Naruto Uzumaki, age 7, orphan, has survived yet another beating at the hands of the villagers. And this was one of the bad ones. In the good ones, either the white-haired ANBU Dog or another named Weasel would stop them quickly, leaving Naruto with only a few bruises. But neither showed showed up today. In fact, the last time Naruto saw Weasel, he was leaving the village the night of the Uchiha Massacre. Strange.

So, without his protectors there was no one to stop the villagers from turning him into their personal punching bag.

Self-defense was out of the question! He tried that once, and suddenly HE was the aggressor, or at least that was how everyone else would see it. They already thought he was a monster for reasons unknown to him, no need to make it worse. Calling for help was a no go too! Almost everyone either ignored it or joined in.

As far as he knew, only five people cared for him: Dog, Weasel, Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen, and the Hokage. Months after the orphanage kicked him out, the Hokage got him a small apartment. It wasn't much, but it kept him dry when it rained and gave him a bed to sleep in. Teuchi and Ayame were the only ones who didn't kick him out of their venture nor did they overcharge him for rotten goods. It's one of the reasons Naruto always ate ramen. That and it was just so good!

None of the other kids hung out with him because their parents told them not too. Anyone whom he tried to get close to would either reject him or be pulled away from him. As a result, he had no friends.

Now the young blonde was limping home. The boy's nose was broken and bleeding, his right eye swollen and his green goggles broken. His white shirt was torn and covered in dirt and some blood stains. There were cuts and bruises on upper body, and Naruto could tell he had a few cracked ribs. His right shoulder was dislocated and his arms hung at his sides, also covered in bruises and cuts. His orange pants were also in tatters His left ankle was twisted so he had to shift his weight to his right.

Normally, when someone is injured like this, they go to the hospital, but Naruto wouldn't risk it. The doctors and nurses didn't like him either, which was why he always wanted someone he trusted to stay with him whenever he went. However, the Hokage was in an important meeting, and he had no idea where the others were since Ichiraku closed early that day.

By the time Naruto got home, most of his cuts and bruises were gone and he felt his ribs fixing themselves. He never understood where his healing factor came from, but he was thankful for it.

Before entering his apartment, Naruto slammed his dislocated shoulder against the door, popping it back into place. "Owwwww!" he yelled. Once he enter, he crashed onto his couch and grunted painfully as he worked on his ankle.

' _Why? I don't get it! Sure I've pulled a couple of pranks, but none of those justify this kind of punishment! Besides, they hated me before I started pranking, so what is it?'_

Naruto thought hard, but couldn't think of anything he did. And it infuriated him as much as it infuriated him that he was too weak to do anything about how he was treat. ' _One day, I'll be strong and people will acknowledge me for me and start treating me with respect!'_ Naruto thought optimistically.

' _But…'_ A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ' _I can't get stronger here. Not with the way people treat me. The teachers don't help me at all! And… I'm scared that one day, one of the villagers will actually kill me. Even if it's not their intention, one might accidentally go too far. I, I gotta leave.'  
_ -

"Get up!" Hiashi commanded as his eldest daughter laid on the ground. He had literally trained her to the ground and he was disappointed by her performance. "I said GET UP!"

"F-father… please" Hinata pleaded between breaths. Hiashi had been relentless the entire training session. A few of her chakra points were closed and his last blow damaged her lungs. "I… I can… b-barely… breathe… and… m-move."

"Is this all you've got? How disappointing! You're my heir and yet you're weaker than a Branch Family member!"

"I… I'm sor…"

"SILENCE!" Hiashi yelled. "You're always falling short! Your weakness is a disgrace! YOU are a disgrace! A disgrace to me, and a disgrace to our clan!" Hiashi turns away and stops at the door. "Take her to the doctor," he told the Branch member next to him. "I want her in healed in time for training tomorrow." The servant nodded and did as he was told.

Meanwhile Kō, Hinata's caretaker, approach the clan head. He had short, brown hair, white, pupil less eyes, and wore a black kimono. "Pardon me sir, but don't you think you're being a little, um, rough with her? She's only 7 after all."

"If she's to take my place as head of our clan, she needs to toughen up, or the elders will walk all over her," Hiashi answered.

"But calling her a disgrace? Don't you think that'll have an adverse affect on her?"

"On the contrary, it'll give her the motivation to prove me wrong. Now I have some work to do in my office." Hiashi walked away to his office.

' _I hope you're right sir, for Hinata's sake,'_ Kō thought.  
-

The doctors managed to reopen Hinata's chakra points and heal her lung. Luckily, it only sustained minor damage, though she was told not to do anything too strenuous for a while. Unfortunately, knowing her father, tomorrow he would be just as hard on her, if not harder.

Currently, she was in her room, sitting on her bed, crying as her father's words repeated in her head. " _You are a disgrace! Disgrace… Disgrace"_ That word echoed in her mind. Was she really that bad, that weak? Her father seemed to think so.

Or maybe it's something else. Is he mad at her for being kidnapped, like Neji? After all, it resulted in the death of his brother Hizashi. Or maybe he was taking out his frustrations from the loss of Hitomi.

Whatever the reason, Hinata couldn't take it anymore! ' _If, if all I am is a disappointment, then maybe I should leave! Yeah, I'll runaway! That way, I don't have to suffer anymore, and father doesn't have to deal with me.'_

Drying her tears, Hinata started to pack some clothes, then got ready for dinner. ' _I'll leave when it's dark, after dinner. It'll give me cover. And besides, it may be a while before I can take a nice hot bath and have a good meal.  
_ -

Naruto was dressed in his orange jumpsuit, a large, black bag slung over his right sholder. He pack a spare set of clothes, a canteen, his broken goggles, and as much instant ramen as he could fit in there as well as the supplies to cook it. The inside of his apartment was had a bunch of explosive tags he 'borrowed'. He didn't like doing it, but it was necessary since no one would sell him any, and not just because of his status in the village.

Now, Naruto waited near the gate in the shadows, out of sight. As he waited for for his distraction, he found himself thinking about what he was leaving. Despite the pain caused by the villagers, he had some good memories. Idle chat with old man Hokage, ramen at Ichiraku, ice cream with Weasel (though Weasel never had any), the time Dog got him his green goggles for his fifth birthday, the time he got orange paint all over Iruka-sensei, and sitting on top of the stone head of his idol, the Fourth Hokage.

It may be years before got to do any of that. But he made up his mind. He was gonna leave. He was gonna get stronger. And maybe one day, he'll return, if only to see the few friends he had. And eat tons of Ichiraku ramen of course.

Unbeknownst to him, however, another runaway was a short distance away.  
-

Hinata waited near Naruto's location in a similar fashion, though neither knew the other was there. She wore her cream-colored jacket and blue paints. Around her neck was a necklace with the Yin Yang symbol on it. It was given to her by her mother on her third birthday. She had a dark blue bag over her right shoulder with food, a canteen, colored contact lenses, spare clothes, her medical cream, a ruined red scarf, and a picture of her four year old self, her mother, and her father.

And now as she waited for an opening, she too thought about what she was leaving. Kō would have a heart attack when he learned of her departure. He had cared for her since she was nearly kidnapped. And then there was her little sister, Hanabi. She was only 2 years old and she was leaving her to their father.

But like Naruto, she made her decision and she was sticking to it. Besides, Hiashi seemed to favor Hanabi anyway.

Suddenly, an explosion could be heard in the distance, which drew the attention of most of the surrounding shinobi, leaving only two chunin to guard the gate. ' _Well, that was lucky. I wonder what's up with that explosion, though?'_

The two chunin looked in the direction of the explosion to see smoke rising. The one on the left had long, spiky, black hair, a bandage that ran over the bridge of his nose, and dark eyes. The other one had long, brown hair that covered his right eye, dark eyes, and wore his protector like a bandana.

"Hey, Kotetsu," the brown-haired one said. " What do you think that was?"

"No idea, Izumo," he answered. "Should we go check it out?"

"Course not! We have to guard the gate in case whoever did that tries to escape!"

Suddenly, they heard a noise to the far left. "What was that?" Kotetsu asked.

"Might be whoever is responsible for that explosion. Stay here! I'll go check." Shortly after Izumo left, Kotetsu heard another noise to the far right. "Huh, is there another one?" He left to check it out.

As soon as both chunin were out of sight, the two children ran to the gate. They froze once they saw each other.

' _Huh? Who is she and what's she doing here?'_ Naruto see the pack on her back. ' _Is she running away too?'_ Naruto thought.

Hinata, however, recognised him. "N-Naruto?!"

Before either could question the other's presence further, they heard the chunin returning and ran through the gate and out of sight. Once they were far enough away they stopped and turned to one another. "Ok, I think it's safe to stop here," Naruto said. Sitting on the nearest rock, he ask, "So, um, you know my name but I don't know your's. So, who are you?"

"O-oh, right. I, I guess I n-never told y-you my n-name last w-winter." Naruto was about to ask what she meant when he finally recognised her. Last winter, during on of the Hidden Leaf's rare snowy winters, he saw a couple of kids picking on her and told them to leave her alone. He pretended to perform a jutsu, then used the confusion to tackle the leader. The bullies dragged him off their leader then beat him up and ruined his red scarf before leaving. Hinata was about to thank him when Kō appeared and told Naruto to get lost. Hinata tried to protest, but Kō interrupted her and said there was something wrong with that boy and that she should stay away from him. He then told her it was time to go but before they left, she picked up Naruto's discarded scarf and took it with her. When asked why she had it, she'd say it was personal.

Back to the present, Hinata introduced herself. "I, I'm H-Hinata Hyūga." Naruto nodded and after a moment of silence, Hinata asked the question on both their minds. "Um, n-not that I m-mind your presence, but, um, w-why are you o-out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Naruto retorted. "I mean, don't you have a family?" Naruto didn't know much about the Hyūga, but he did know they were a big family, something he wished he had, or at least one family member. Not to mention well respected and rich. And there was one more thing. Some kind of power or something. "And what about you friends?" Hinata's face went from nervous to sad, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it…"

"N-no, it's fine." Hinata told a deep breath and continued. "W-well I am, err was, the heiress to the clan, meaning one day, I would have taken over one day."

"Woah, really? That sounds awesome!" Naruto said excitedly. He couldn't see why she would leave.

"Yeah, it does." Hinata said softly. "I u-use to be s-so excited about o-one day l-leading the H-Hyūga Clan. B-but for the last t-two years, my father h-has been, uh excessive, in his training methods."

"Excessive? What do ya mean by that?"

"Um, m-most sessions end with me p-passed out a-and taken to the d-doctor."

"WHAT?!" Naruto was outraged and made no effort to hide it. He always thought a father was suppose to protect and care for his children, not harm them. "Why would he do that?"

"Shhhh! Someone may hear us!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and apologised. "A-as for w-why, I h-have a few suspicions, b-but the point is t-that to him I'm n-nothing but a disgrace." Hinata finished sadly.

"Well, I refuse to believe that! And I know you'll prove me wrong while we travel together!" Naruto said.

"T-t-travel, t-t-together?"

"Of course! No point in both of us leaving alone, ya know. I mean, I don't have anywhere specific to go," Naruto said, excited at the prospect of having a traveling companion and maybe a new friend. "Unless…" Naruto started.

"No, no, no!" Hinata quickly said, then she blushed in embarrassment at her small outburst. "I, I mean, I'd l-love to t-travel w-with y-you."

"ALRIGHT! We're gonna have lots of adventures and get real strong! Believe it!" Naruto shouted before doing a happy dance. Hinata couldn't help but giggled at his antics. Naruto managed to take away her worries, at least for the time being, and her crush on him seemed less then a crush (No, not love, not yet). Naruto then remembered Hinata said earlier about being quiet in case anyone was nearby. Smiling sheepishly, he apologised. "Opps. Sorry, forgot about keeping quiet."

Hinata performed a quick check with her Byakugan and saw no one else was around. "D-don't worry a-about it Naruto. Y-you didn't a-attract any u-unwanted a-attention." Naruto sighed in relief and started rummaging through his bag. Meanwhile, Hinata stared at him. "Um, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Y-you know why I l-left, but um, I d-don't know y-your reason."

Naruto's stopped what he was doing and sighed, , which made Hinata regret her words but before she could take them, he sat back down on the rock he was sitting on earlier. "Hinata, what do you know about me?"

Hinata thought for a moment, thinking back to all the things she heard about him, as well as her personal experience with him. "I know t-that you're an orphan, a-and that y-you l-like to p-pull pranks. And…" she sighed, "A-and for s-some reason, y-you aren't h-held in high r-regard in the village."

"That's putting it mildly," Naruto grumbled quietly, but Hinata still heard him and gave him a questioning look. "Let's just say you're not the who's been in need for medical attention often." he said, looking down.

Hinata's face was struck with horror. "You mean…"

Naruto nodded. "And it wasn't always drunks. A lot of them were very sober. And worse, when people passed by, they would either ignore it, cheer them on, or join in. In fact, in my entire life, I can count the people who care about me on one hand." He raised his hand to show her and started counting down those people. "Old man Hokage, Dog, Weasel," Hinata looked confused til Naruto told her they were ANBU, "Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku. That's it."

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, you have o-one more person," she said, blushing. Naruto looked confused and asked who else. "W-well, uh, m-me."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Hinata."

She blushed deeper. "N-no problem. B-besides, I sh-should be t-thanking you for h-helping me l-last winter."

Naruto continued to look through his bag. "Damn it!"

"W-what's wrong Naruto?"

"Forgot my sleeping bag."

"Oh, s-same here." Hinata said as she thought back to what she packed.

"Oh well, we'll grab some camping stuff at the next town." Hinata nodded and the two of them slept and were lucky no one found them.  
-

"Report," the Hokage told the ANBU in front of him.

"Sir, the explosion was indeed located at the de… err Uzumaki's residence," the ANBU corrected. The Hokage caught it and gave him a glare but then just sighed and motioned for him to continue. "We search the wreckage but found no sign of a body, leading us to believe the child was not at home at the time." The Hokage sighed in relief. Naruto was fine, though homeless once again. He'd have to find him a new one, after punishing the ones responsible for blowing up the first one. "However," the ANBU continued. "We've searched the squad I sent to search for the boy came up empty handed."

"Are you sure the ANBU on that squad are reliable?" The ANBU knew what he meant. Hiruzen wasn't questioning their skill, but because Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, many of his shinobi proved to be unable to separate their duty from their personal feelings in regard to the boy.

"Dog is with them." Dog returned last night shortly before the explosion. In fact, he was in the middle of his mission debrief when Naruto's place exploded.

"Send him to me." The ANBU nodded and disappeared. He then dismissed his hidden bodyguards.

Minutes later, a man with white hair in ANBU armor and a white mask with red lines around the eye holes and two on each side in the middle. "Reporting."

Hiruzen activated the privacy seals in his office. "You can remove your mask, Kakashi." Kakashi nodded and took off his mask. He wore another mask, this one dark blue, that covered his lower face. He took out his forehead protector and wrapped it around his forehead, then lowered part of it to cover his scared, closed left eye. "I'm told you can't find Naruto."

Kakashi nodded. "My nin-dogs were unable to pick up his scent from his home due all the smoke, ash, and residue. It has been determined that the explosion was caused by about ten paper bombs."

"Yes, and thankfully there's no evidence that Naruto was in there when it happened. Hopefully, we find him soon and catch whoever is responsible.

"About that." The Hokage raised his eyebrow. "During our search, a shop keeper came up to us to report some stolen explosive tags. When asked who he thought was the culprit, he said Naruto." The Hokage scoffs. It wouldn't be the first time someone accused Naruto of a crime he didn't commit. "I doubted it too, at first. But then he told me how many were missing. Ten. And he claimed Naruto attempted to buy them earlier. Coupled with the fact that he's nowhere in the village and there has been no trace of an infiltration…"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Kakashi."

"Yes, I am," Kakashi said solemnly. "Naruto may have left the Hidden Leaf. The question is why."

"I'm afraid the answer is quite obvious. The village has completely disregarded Minato's dying wish to have his son seen as a hero. And the few people who do haven't been able to be there for him often. I've been busy as Hokage and you've been busy with the ANBU. And then there's Itachi's betrayal," The Hokage said. A part of him wanted to tell Kakashi the truth of the Uchiha Massacre, but Itachi was adamant that no one know the truth, not even Kakashi, Naruto, and his little brother Sasuke.

"Damn it!" Kakashi said, temporarily forgetting he was in the presence of a Kage. "I've been so busy wallowing in self-pity and throwing myself into my work, that I failed to be there properly for his only child. Sure I was there a few times, but…"

"Enough Kakashi!" Hiruzen shouted. "We're both guilty of failing Naruto. I couldn't keep the fact that he's a Jinchūriki a secret from the public like I did with Kushina. Or like my predecessor, the First Hokage, did with his wife. If I had, things would have been different. But that's neither here nor there! Right now, we need to focus on finding him before anything happens, and I don't need you stuck in regret. So as of right now, your mission is to find Naruto and return him safely to the Leaf!"

"Yes, Lord Third!" And with that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Third Hokage sighed and looked out the window. ' _Naruto, where did you go?'  
_ -

"Kō, please fetch Hinata. She's late for breakfast." Kō nodded and headed for Hinata's room. Hiashi was at the dining room table with Hanabi eating breakfast. Minutes passed before Kō rushed back into the room, a panicked look on his face and a piece of paper in his hand. "What's wrong?" Hiashi asked as he brought his fork up.

"Hinata's gone!"

Hiashi dropped his fork. The noise it made was the loudest thing in the room. Finally, Hiashi spoke. "What do you mean she's gone?" he demanded.

Kō handed him the piece of paper in his hand. It was a letter from Hinata

 _Dear Father,_

 _By the time you read this, I will be gone. I'm sorry but I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure, the injuries, it was too much. I don't know if you're mad at me for the kidnapping or something, so I apologise for anything I did. And don't worry, I took colored contact lenses to hide my Byakugan, so if anyone sees me, none of them will know about my eyes and take them. I don't know if I'll ever return. If not, I want to say that even though you haven't been these last two years, I still love you, father, and I'll miss you. Tell Hanabi and Kō I'm sorry for leaving and that I'll miss them too._

 _Love,_

 _Hinata_

Hiashi's eyes widened as he read Hinata's letter. "Father, what did Kō mean? Is sister not here?"

"Finish your breakfast." Hiashi commanded before motioning for Kō to follow him. They went into his office. Activating his privacy seals, he turned to Kō. "I need you to gather some trustworthy men and find her. And make sure to keep it quiet. I don't want the elders finding out, or they'll use it as an excuse to seal her." Kō nodded and left while Hiashi plopped down into his chair. ' _Hinata, where did you go?'  
_ -

Hinata woke up, wondering why her bed was so hard. Then she looked around and remembered her situation. She had run away and by coincidence, ended up traveling with her crush. Naruto was still asleep and muttering something about ramen, which caused Hinata to giggle.

A few minutes later, Naruto woke up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around and saw Hinata with something in her hands. "Morning, Hinata."

Hinata turned around and started blushing. "Oh, g-good m-morning."

"Whatcha doin?" Naruto asked.

"J-just putting on t-these c-colored contacts," Hinata answered.

"Oh that reminds me! I was wonder, what's up with those weird eyes of yours?" Hinata looked down, depressed that Naruto thought her eyes were weird. When Naruto noticed this, he quickly added, "I didn't mean it in a bad way! I mean, my whisker marks are kinda weird, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with that."

"I k-kinda think they m-make you l-look cute," Hinata said, too quietly for Naruto to hear.

"Hm, what was that?"

"N-nothing. A-anyway, my c-clan possesses a kekkei genkai." Naruto looked confused. "T-they're abilities that are p-passed down and can't be t-taught. My kekkei genkai i-is called t-the Byakugan. M-my eyes g-give me near 360 degree v-vision, see t-through most s-solid objects, and see c-chakra."

"Woah, your eyes are awesome!" Naruto shouted, making Hinata turn red as a tomato. "Wait, so why are you hiding them?"

"L-like I said, only the Hyūga h-have the Byakugan. A-and because of t-that, people c-come after o-our eyes." Naruto grew angry at that. "I n-need to h-hide my e-eyes so as n-not to a-attract attention."

"Who would dare try to hurt you for your eyes?" Naruto said angrily. It sickened him to think of the lengths people would go to for power.

"W-well, the H-hidden Cloud tried w-when I was 5. B-but my father stopped m-my kidnapper."

"Alright, I see your point. I'd hate for anything to happen to you." Hinata blushed red once more, then finished. Now her eyes were dark purple with pupils.

"So, um w-where are we going Naruto?"


	2. Chapter 2 Across the Desert

A/N: Naruto and Hinata's adventure really starts now. Remember to review. Also vote on my poll on my profile, 'cause it's really close! Do you want me to make a Sound version?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 2 Across the Desert, Meeting it's Monster

"So… Hot!" Naruto complained. He knew the desert would be hot, but he didn't know it would be this hot! He and Hinata wore their jackets around their waists. Hinata's black shirt and Naruto's white shirt were soaked in sweat. "I'm melting!"

He and Hinata had recently arrived at the Land of Wind, though sometimes Naruto wondered why it wasn't called the Land of Fire, cause it's hotter here. Hinata explained that the five major nations were named for the abundance of natural elemental affinities in them. For example, most people in the Land of Fire have a natural affinity for fire style jutsu, and in the Land of Wind, wind style users are more common than anywhere else.

They had stopped at a store near the border, where Hinata suggested they stock up on water, due to the fact that they would be traveling in the desert. Naruto paid since Hinata forgot her wallet at home. She apologised and promised to pay him back, but Naruto told her not to worry about it, her company was payment enough. Unaware of the effect his words had on her, (basically he was just glad he wasn't alone anymore, not flirting or anything like that) Naruto didn't notice her intense blush as she struggled to stay conscious.

Now they were traversing the desert, looking for the Village Hidden in the Sand, where no one knew them and they could complete their ninja training without the hostilities they faced in the Leaf. In fact, Naruto had already decided he was gonna be the Kazekage, since that's the Sand's version of the Hokage. Hinata planned to support him and make his dream come true, though she was too shy to tell him this.

As they walked through the desert, Naruto spotted something on the horizen. It was an oasis! With palm trees and water!

"Look Hinata! Water!" Naruto shouted excitedly, pointing at the oasis. "We can take a refill our water and take a dip!"

Hinata looked where he was pointing. "Um, N-Naruto, I don't s-see…"

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Naruto rushed toward it, dropping his pack.

"Wait, Naruto!" She picked up his pack and tried to get his attention. Naruto wasn't listening. He closed his eyes, jumped into the air and landed in the water.

Only it didn't feel cool at all, or even wet. In fact, it didn't feel like water at all! Naruto opened his eyes to find only sand. The trees, the vegetation, the water, all gone! "Where did…"

"Um, N-Naruto," Naruto looked at the shy girl as she handed him his pack. "T-there was n-no oasis."

"Huh? But I saw…"

"I-it was an i-illusion c-created by the h-heat. A-a mirage."

"A mirage." Naruto repeated as he looked around. Hinata knew if she had done that in front of him, she would have died of embarrassment, so she figured that must be what he's feeling. But instead, Naruto just got up and flashed her one of his goofy smiles. "Eh hee hee. I must have looked pretty silly there, huh?" He just let out a little laughter.

Hinata covered her mouth as she quietly giggled. It was one of the things she admired about him, he never let anything get him down if he could help it. If something had him down, he'd just flash a smile and moved forward.

"Okay, if I remember that map the old man showed me, the village should be somewhere to the west, the same direction we were heading in." Naruto thought for a moment. "Um, Hinata? Do you remember which way we were going?"

"Um…" Hinata realised in the commotion, they had lost their sense of direction and couldn't check which way they came since the wind covered their tracks like they hoped it would in order to keep any pursuers off their trail. "N-no, s-sorry Naruto."

"Hmmm. Okay, new plan. We wander the desert until we run into any Sand shinobi and ask them to take us to their village."

"B-but, w-who knows how long t-that'll take." Hinata worried that it would take too long time for them to run into a Sand shinobi. Their supplies would only last them another 2 or 3 days.

"We'll be alright. Come on, let's go!"  
-

Iruka sat on his desk, grading papers while his students were out for lunch. But his thoughts were elsewhere, on his two missing students, Hinata Hyūga and Naruto Uzumaki.

Hiashi told him and everyone else that Hinata was out of the village on a special training expedition. Iruka had accepted the explanation, but could help but worry for her as her teacher.

But right now he was worried about the young jinchūriki. Everyone knew of Naruto's departure from the village, another thing about the boy the Hokage couldn't keep secret. When news reached the villagers, cheers could be heard all around the village. It made Iruka sick to see these people had driven the poor child away and were now celebrating.

Not that he was blameless himself. When the Third Hokage asked him to be the teacher for Naruto class, he had a hard time dealing with the boy. Naruto was loud, barely paid attention, and would pull stupid pranks. When he asked the other instructors for advice, one suggested he not make a big deal of it whenever Naruto acts up and that would make the problem go away.

So that's what Iruka did. He ignored Naruto and told the class to do the same, all of which would do so. Well, all but one, but she watched him secretly. Anyway, it didn't work. Naruto continued to cause trouble, so Iruka spent more time either mildly scolding or ignoring him, never realising how this truly affected Naruto or seeing the familiar pain, until one day. He was walking home one day three kids ran past him screaming about a fox monster in the cemetery. Kunai in hand, Iruka rushed to the scene, only to find Naruto on the ground laughing with a white and red fox mask next to him and wearing a cape. Memories of that terrible day when Iruka lost his parents the Nine-Tailed Fox, the very demon that Naruto contained, resurfaced and Iruka unknowingly gave Naruto the same look the villagers gave him everyday, and though not as hateful, it still hurt the young boy to see. So Naruto shouted, asking why he and everyone else gave him that dreadful look. He ranted about how he wasn't just some nuisance or germ but a person with feelings of his own. Then Naruto said he was done, done with the academy and done with the village and ran home. Iruka's eyes widened when he heard the hurt in his voice and the look on Naruto's face. The shock wore off and he yelled at Naruto to wait, but Naruto just kept running, trying to hold in the tears.

Iruka stayed up all night, the look on Naruto's face haunting him. As the night drew on, memories of attack 7 years ago enter his head again. But soon they were replaced by memories of afterwards, when Iruka was alone and became the class clown to get attention. His thoughts drifted to all of Naruto's antics and realised he acted just like Iruka use to. In fact, if it wasn't for the Hokage preaching to him about the Will of Fire, Iruka may not have changed or even graduated from the academy. ' _That's why Lord Hokage asked me to be his teacher,'_ Iruka had thought. ' _I'm the only one who could understand his pain, if only a little.'_

The next day there was no school, so Iruka would have to wait until tomorrow to apologise to him. The whole day, he heard people speak ill about Naruto, which not only angered him but also increased his own guilt. He tried to speak to the Hokage, but he was in an important meeting. He couldn't even have a bowl of his favorite ramen from Ichiraku because they closed early that day.

The day afterwards, Naruto wasn't at school, and neither was Hinata. However, it wasn't the first time she had to skip school for clan business so Iruka wasn't as concerned. But he remembered Naruto's words at the cemetery and grew worried. He asked the class if anyone had seen him, but no one had, and what's more, most verbally expressed that they didn't care. He was missing the next day too, though he had been informed that Hinata was undergoing special training outside the village, and the day after that, Naruto was still missing. It was on the fourth day of school for the week that news had spread that Naruto had fled the village. As expected, many students took it as good news, though some like Choji and Shikamaru seemed a little saddened by the news. Even Sasuke looked like he was curious as to what could have happened to the blond knucklehead, though he quickly buried the thought. Iruka's guilt was at an all time high, knowing he was partially responsible for driving Naruto away.

 _'Guess the problem did go away, and now I want it back.'_

"Hey Iruka, you alright?" Iruka was snapped out of his thoughts by his long time friend Mizuki.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," he lied.

Mizuki looked at him in disbelief. "I can tell you're lying. We've been friends for years. Is this about Naruto?"

Iruka sighed. "I just wish I had been a better teacher to him. Maybe then, he wouldn't have left."

Mizuki put his hand on his shoulder. "You can't change the past, but you can affect the future. Don't worry, I'm sure he's alright." Iruka thanked him and continued to grade papers. ' _Damn, as glad as I am that the demon is gone, I sure he would have had uses that benefited me,'_ Mizuki thought as he supervised the children for the remainder of lunch.  
-

"N-Naruto, I t-think I see s-someone."

"Finally!" Two days have passed and they were nearly out of water and food. "Where are they?"

"O-over their." Hinata pointed to their left as the veins disappeared around her eyes and sure enough, Naruto saw four figures in the distance.

"Alright, let's go introduce ourselves." Naruto started running toward the figures, Hinata following close behind. Both of them were nervous, Hinata more so than Naruto. After all, there was no guarantee these people would take them. And Naruto knew better than most how cruel people can be, even to a child. But they had come too far neither was willing to give up because of what ifs. They chose the Hidden Sand for a reason. They were allies of the Leaf Village, which meant that they were least likely to attack their old home in the future, which was a good thing since neither of them held any grudges, despite what they went through. All they had to do was keep their identities a secret, and the could become shinobi. Naruto was gonna be Kazekage one day, and Hinata would become a powerful kunoichi and stand by Naruto's side as a close friend. ' _Or maybe I'll become more,'_ she hoped.

The closer they got, the clearer the figures became. It was three kids and one adult, and they looked like they were taking a jogging. The adult was a man who wore a white turban-like headgear with a sheet covering the left side of his face. Two red, curved, triangular markings on the right side of his face and wore his protector with the Sand Village symbol on his forehead. In fact, he was the only one with a forehead protector He wore a beige flak jacket with shoulder padding.

Behind him was a blond girl with teal eyes. Her hair was in four spiky ponytails. She wore a light purple, long-sleeve garment that reached halfway to her thighs and showed her shoulders, which were covered in a fishnet, a scarlet sash around her waist and a closed metal fan on her back. She looked like she was the eldest of the children and was probably about three years older that the two runaways.

The second child was a boy in what looked like a black cat suit or something, since his headgear had what looked like cat ears. On the center of the suit was a circle, half red half yellow, outlined with white. His hair wasn't visible, and he had purple face paint in a triangular design. He had something wrapped on his back and looked a little younger than the girl, probably by a year or two.

The last and youngest of the group was a boy with short, spiky red hair who looked about the same age as Naruto. He had green eyes that had black rings around him, like he didn't get much sleep. The kanji for love was located above his left eye. He wore a short-sleeved black bodysuit, with mesh armor underneath, with a white cloth that goes over his right shoulder and down and around his left hip. He has a wide leather band from his left shoulder to his right hip that holds a gourd on his back.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled as he ran toward them. The group stopped jogging and turned. They were surprised to see two children running toward them.

"Hm? What are a bunch of brats doing alone in the middle of the desert?" the boy with the face paint said.

"I'll take care of them." the redhead said, his voice void of emotion. The cork in the gourd popped out and sand started to poured.

"Gaara, no." the shinobi said, calm, but firm. "We should find out what they're doing here. Besides, you already killed that group of bandits we came across earlier." the shinobi said.

"Their blood disgusted mother."

"And what makes you think theirs is any better," he argued.

Gaara thought for a moment, as Naruto and Hinata arrived at their location. "Alright, they live, for now." The sand returned to his gourd.

The two runaways heard Gaara's last comment. Hinata instantly decided not to get on his bad side and Naruto looked at him in confusion, wondering who was this guy and why would he say something like that. He did decide to be wary of the redhead, in case he was serious, but would withhold judgement until later. "Um, okay?" Turning his attention to the only adult of the group, Naruto asked, "Hey, you guys from the Hidden Sand?"

"Why do you ask?" the blond girl asked.

"We're looking for the village, to enroll in the academy."

"And where exactly are you from?" the shinobi asked. They didn't look like they were from the desert, so he assumed they weren't from one of the desert villages that dotted the Land of Wind. "And your parents? Where are they?

Hinata spoke this time. "W-we're from a v-village that's on t-the b-border."

"We, never knew our parents," Naruto said with genuine sadness, since he truly never met his mom and dad and had no idea who they were, not even their names, other than Uzumaki. "Um, anyway, I'm Kono," Naruto said, using a fake name.

"Um, a-and I'm K-Kurenai," Hinata choose her name while thinking about one of her mother's friends. She hadn't had many interactions with the real Kurenai, but she was always very nice to Hinata, even after the death of Hitomi. ' _Wonder how she's doing.'  
-_

"Ah-Choo!"

"You alright Kurenai?" Asuma asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said as she continued her date.  
-

"Alright we told you our names, now what's yours," Naruto demanded.

The three children look at the shinobi, who nodded at them. The blond girl introduced herself as Temari, the cat boy said he was Kankuro, and the redhead was Gaara. Apparently, they were siblings. The shinobi introduced himself as Baki, their sensei. The two runaways asked about enrolling to be shinobi of the Sand. "I'll need to take you to the Kazekage, since you're outsiders," Baki explained. "If he approves, then you may enroll."

"Alright! Then what are we waiting for?" Naruto was practically jumping up and down.

' _This guys has way too much energy,'_ the Sand residents thought. Baki lead the way and Naruto and Hinata followed. He motioned Temari toward him and whispered in her ear, "Make sure you and your brothers keep an eye on those two." Temari nodded.

Meanwhile, Gaara looked at the blond boy. Something about him had 'mother' riled up and it was giving him a major headache. He held his head and suppressed his cries of pain. ' _Mother, please! Calm down, it hurts!'_ It went on for about 3 more seconds before it stopped. The runaways didn't notice, but Temari did and Gaara could make out the fear in her eyes. Fear that the monster within him was coming out. ' _Who are you, Kono, to elicit such a reaction. Not that it matters. If mother wants his blood, I'll abilge and prove my existence once more.'_

"Come in," spoke Fourth Kazekage Rasa. He had dark eyes and spiky auburn hair, similar to Gaara's red hair. He wore the standard loose fitting kimono of the Kage. His was white and green. On his desk was his green hat with the kanji for wind on it. Baki walk in with Naruto and Hinata in tow. The Sand Siblings had returned home upon entering the village. "Ah Baki, I trust the training outside the village went well, though I'm curious to see who these children you've brought with you are."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Baki said with a small bow. "Your children performed within expectations. As for these two, we found them wandering the desert. They say they're orphans from a village on the border between our land and the Land of Fire. They wish to enroll at the academy so they can join our ranks as shinobi."

"I see." The Kazekage looked at the two children. "And what are your names?"

"My name is Kurenai, Lord Kazekage." Hinata bowed as she spoke. Rasa nodded in approval then turned toward the boy.

"I'm Kono the Unpredictable, believe it!" Naruto said with a smile. Baki frowned at the lack of respect he showed, but Rasa didn't seem too bothered by it. Hinata kept her composure, but inside, she was giggling at Naruto's declaration, know it to be true with all his unique pranks that always seemed to catch people off guard.

"And what are your reasons for becoming shinobi?" the Kazekage asked.

"Simple, I'm gonna become the greatest ninja and protect everyone I care about, and my village! Um, this village I mean. Not that I don't care about my old village, but what I means is…"

"I got it," the Kazekage interrupted. "And you, young Kurenai?"

"I want to b-become a s-strong kunoichi and p-protect my h-home," Hinata stuttered.

"I see." The Kazekage examined the them for a few minutes. The silence was unnerving until he finally spoke. "If you will wait outside while I speak to Baki, I'll have my answer then." He motioned to the door. Once the two exited, the Kage activated privacy seals. "And what do you think?"

"That they're now who they claim to be."

The Kazekage nodded, indicating that he was thinking the same. "Yes though I doubt they're spies. Still, I'd like to keep an eye on them. Especially the girl."

"Who do you think they are?" Baki asked.

"The girl, though shy, seems to be well acquainted with the mannerisms expected from one of nobility. Add her desire to become a ninja, it's most likely she's from a ninja clan. And from her physical features, I'd say the Hyūga."

"Are you sure?" Baki questioned. "Her eyes don't look like the byakugan." He'd met a few Hyūga and knew what their Byakugan looked like.

"A disguise. She's wearing colored contact lenses." Baki nodded. It made sense. "Why she left, I've no idea. She lacks the curse mark of the branch family, so she must be from the main family."

"And what of Kono, if that's his real name? I got the impression he really is an orphan."

"Same here, but since he came with 'Kurenai', it stands to reason he came from the Leaf Village too."

"Should we alert them of their presence? After all, the Leaf are our allies."

"Yes, allies who have stolen all our business!" he said angrily. "Our feudal lord has given most of the missions he'd normally entrust to us to the Leaf. We're barely scraping by, and what have our so called allies done to help us? Nothing!" Regaining his composure, he continued. "Besides, this is a chance for the Sand to acquire a powerful kekkei genkai. If the Leaf was foolish to lose her, its their loss. And since neither of them are eager to return, we can keep this a secret, until it's too late. For now, though, we'll pretend not to know anything."

"Alright, so we'll accept them into the academy." Rasa nodded. "And where will they stay?"

"With my children. That way they and I can keep an eye on them, just in case. Inform them of the situation and make sure to tell Temari and Kankuro keep Gaara in line. I don't want him killing the girl."

"As you wish, Lord Kazekage." With a bow, Baki walked out the door. He told the two runaways that the Kazekage had reached a decision and wished to speak to them.

"I have come to a decision. You will be accepted into the academy." Naruto started celebrating. "However," the Kazekage added, causing Naruto to stop, "you will be kept under observation. This is standard for all outsiders who wish to join our village. You've already met your housemates. They were the three you met along with Baki."

"Oh yeah, those three. We'll be staying with them?" Receiving a nod, he smiled and said, "Cool."

The Kazekage continued to explain what would happen, and as he looked at the two children, he couldn't help but think that their presence will change the Village Hidden in the Sand, hopefully for the better.  
-

Alpha: Hope people like this. Don't expect Naruto and Gaara to be fast friends. I'm not making it that easy. That would be way too boring.

Naruto: HA! TAKE THAT SASUKE!

Sasuke: Hm, you got lucky.

Naruto: Luck had nothing to do with it. I kicked your ass!

Alpha: What are you two doing?

Sasuke: Playing Ninja Storm 2.

Naruto: And I just beat Sasuke!

Sasuke: Again, luck. This time, I'll definitely win.

Alpha: Later, it's my turn now! (Takes the controller from Sasuke)

Guy: Yosh! Kakashi, my eternal rival, let us duke it out on the screen! Loser does 500 laps around the neighborhood on their hands!

Kakashi: There's no getting out of this, is there?

Alpha: Nope.

Sasuke: 'fraid not.

Naruto: Negatory.

Kakashi: _sighs_ Ok Guy, we'll play next match.

Naruto: Alright, I pick me, pervy sage, and dad.

Alpha: And I'll be Itachi, Kiba, and Hinata. Get ready to lose!

Naruto: You're on!


End file.
